If you can grocery shop in person, you can vote in person. That’s the main point of Russell Berman’s Atlantic article published on September 8th.
In-person voting is no more risky than going to the grocery store, (argues Zeke) Emanuel (bioethicist and former Obama-administration health adviser), as long as certain safeguards are in place, the same measures many Americans have become accustomed to since the spring: Wear a mask and line up at least six feet apart. Voting locations should have plexiglass barriers separating poll workers from voters, as well as disinfectant to wipe down commonly used surfaces and objects. (In the risk-assessment chart—which Emanuel created with James P. Phillips, the chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University, and Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona—voting would also go in the same low-medium risk category as playing golf or tennis.)
But what about COVID-19 cases that were linked to in-person voting in Wisconsin in April of this year? Emanuel had this to say:
The Wisconsin election happened just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the public to wear a face covering, and at a time when protective equipment and sanitizer for poll workers was still in short supply. In the months since, millions of Americans have voted in person in primary elections across the country, and no major outbreaks have been linked to the polls
Am I a bit nervous over voting in person? Yes, but I plan on taking the necessary precautions: stay six feet apart and wear a face covering (note: I plan on wearing (2) masks — one disposable lined with coffee filters and one cloth). I also plan on wearing nitrile gloves and safety goggles. Oh, and I will also bring (2) forms of ID.
55 more days. Stay Safe and Vote Safe.
